Lawn mower



Jury 1s, 1932..` B NEWTON Er l1,918,349

. LAWN MOWER 4 Filed sept. 8, 1932 Patented July 18, l193.3

UNITED .STATES "i IiV HERBERT B. NriwToNAND'THo-MAS o. NEWTON. orBRoo'xLINEf ,ivrAssAcUsnTTs:

'AssIGNoRs To AUTO s IcxLn COMPANY, or BosToN, MASSACHUSETTS, A conlfonaf i TIoN or MASSACHUSETTS Animanga mea september s, 1932.= serial 110.632.158." Y:

Ths invention relates tofa lawn` mower Figu-ref10 is 1F lgure 4c. l

which includes an axle supported by traction wheels and'driven by mechanism which in cludes said wheels, and resilient cutting blades supported i111` spiral form by spider arms releasably attached to the axle, and revolved by the rotation thereof to cut grass,

said blades constituting the only .cutting element of the mower andbeing detachably consupporting arms whereby the blades when supported in spiral form by said arms may be located at different distances from the axle to enable the mower to cut grass at different distances from the ground,'and thus vary the height of the grass left standing by the mower. Another object is to provide improved means forjdetachably connecting the blades with the arms to prevent liability of injuryt'o the blades in connecting them with and detaching them from the arms.

Of the accompanying drawing forminga part'of this specificatiom- Figure 1 is afront view of a mower embodying our improvements. j

Figure 2 is an end view of the same, a portion of one of the traction wheels vbeing broken away.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view Showing a portion of the `axle and one of the improved arms attached thereto i'n one operative position.

' Figure 4 is a view similar to] `igure"3,`

showing the arm attached tofthevaxle in another operative position.

Figure isa perspective Aview of one :of the4 arms. 4 f

Figure 6 is a ragmentaryperspective view.k

showing an end portion ofj-one of the blades. Figure 7 is a perspective vView showing the preferred form of the `keepers.'

Figures V8 and 9 are fragmentary views each showing therkeeper `shownby Figure 7 j LAWN Mownn.`

`ofthe axle when themow'er is movingffor- A armsV imparts y aspiral curvature ,to ythe blade. The spider-arms shownbytheaabovelmen-v 'a seaoa {On una A10V-10er Figures 11 :The same reference characters indicateI the samej partslinall of thegu-res. 1

In the drawing, 12' designates an axlesupand 12 are per- 'spectiveviewsfshowing; a modification` 55 .ported Land adapted tozbefrotated by traction wheels 13, at oppositeend portions;othe'fsv axle, any suitable one-way `driving"mechanismbeing provided,v organized to` permit.VV the axle toremainat restwhenthemowe'r l is moving backward, andfcaus'e the rotation ward.- The traction wheels -13ihave internal gear teeth 130 (Figure 2) meshing with the i teethof intermediategears 131 whichftransf i mit one-way torque from the tractionwheels of the axle.4 f i As disclosed by the vNewton patent, spider arms are releasably attached to the axle'12.

Said arms, include` bases fitted to theaxle, andreleasably attached thereto byV clamping means preferably including clamping bolts 16, hav-ingheads 17 and nuts 18.` Each arm 4has an integral keeperat its outerendjadapted to engage an orifice in one `end ofa flexible blade. 19.v The armsfproject laterally w"from -the axle', and are inclined relative thereto:

The arms `are arranged in'pairs, one armi of eachpair engaging one end 'of a blade, and being inclined in oneI direction. yThe other arm engages the opposite A end ofthefb'lade, and is inclined in the opposite direction.' The angularity or directionof projection offene the engagement of a resilient bladeJ with both arm differs from' that' fthe aurea; seither tioned patent, are provided, withTg-shaped A said/,keepers by the various ynianipulationsY Vdescribedfbysaid patent.` i"

It has been found thatwhentheilieepers ,i

tions lof; the 4blades in engaging the .orili'cesl `andblade orificesA arev thus formed .there is sometimes liability ot `breaking thel end porwith, and disengaging them from, the keep- In carrying out the present invention we have had in view two general objects, viz,

Y ,5 first, to provide means associated with the Y ground, and thus vary the height of the grass left standing by the mower, and second, to improve the form of the blade lori-icesand the arms and their keepers to prevent the above-mentioned liability of breakage.

Said objects are attained by the improved construction next described. Y

Each arm-includes two base portions 2l and y22 and an inclined outerportion 23. The

base portions 21 and 22 are inclined relative to ,eachv other and to the outer portion 23 as best shown by Figure 5. Each of said yformed torejceive the bolt 16. Y The arrangement is such that the inclinationjofthe outer portion 23 of the arms rela- -tive to the) axle may be varied to vary the .distance of the spiralled blades from the axle .by attaching different portions of the arm bases to the axle. i v

Y When the inner portions 2l of the bases are attached by the ,clamping means to the axle as shown by Figures l and 3, the outer arm portions 2,3 are inclined as shown by full Y' lines in Figure l, so that their outer ends andthe blades lengaged therewith, are ata jmimmum distance from the axle, andthe mower v1s ,adapted to eut grass at a maximum distance from the ground. When the outer portions 2,2' of the bases are attached by said elamplng rneans to the axle, the outer arm portions 'are differently inclined as shown-b 1 dotted lines in Figure l, so that their outer Y ends yandthe blades engaged therewith are at a maximum distance from the axle, and lthc mower 1s adapted to cut grass at a mini- .rnum distance from the ground. K Provision is therefore made for adjusting the arms relative to the :axle4 to vary the disy'tance of the spiralledblades vfrom the axle for the purpose stated.

, ,'25 and intermediate webs The 'l arms are preferably stamped from ,plate metal so' thaty they include side flanges Y Y as best shown by Figure 5, thenflanges 25 of the bases stradk'dlmg the axle 12 as shown by Figure '10. rIhe extremities of the flanges and'webs at. the outer ends of the arm portions 23 form substantially U.shaped seats 26 for the end portions of the blades. In attaining the second object of the invention we provide improved means for engaging 5y the blades with the arms in such manner as to base portions is provided with a hole '24y -obviate the above mentioned liability of Vshaped blade oriiices shown bythe above mentioned Newton patent are 'so formed that when a blade is vswung'edgewise on a keeper,

-breakage oi the blade is sometimes caused by interference between a portionot the margin VAof its keyhole shaped orifice, and 'a portion of the T shaped keeper. To prevent such interference we provide the blade endsV with oriiices 27, (Figure 6) having uninterrupted circular margins,rand

construct eachl keeper v.so that it includes aV pivot portionprojecting ,outward fromfthe blade seat 2:6, and extending through a Vcircular blade orifice 27, anda .confining portion bearing on the outer side lof the blade, the

`arrangement being such that .the'blade is adapted to swing edgewiseY on the blade seat aboutthe pivot portion without interference with any portionofthe keeper.

The keeper is preferablya metalrod shown' separately by Figure 7, the general form of the rod beingsimilar to that of. a rivet. Said -keeper includesV an anchoring lportion 28 formed by bending the innerendportion vof the rod'and loosely engaging it with an orilice 29 (Figure) inthe inclined arm portion 23,'

the-keeper being adapted to swing toward and from the arm as shown by Figures 8 and 9.

' The keeperinc-ludes also a pivot portion 30 which extends through a blade orilice 27,

Vand a confining portion orv head-3l bearingy on the outer side of the blade'.V 1

i The pivot portion 30 and the conlining portion 31 are lirst engaged .withV the blade and the anchoring portion 28,-is'then'rengage`d with the arm 23, the keeper being inclined outward from the arm as shown byV Figure 8. .The

blade and keeper are thenswung in unison to the operative posit-ions shown by Figure 9. This operation causes the confining portion, or head 3l, to press the blade against the 'blade seat 26, as shown by Figure 9, and at the same time permit the blade to swing edgewise about the pivot portion 30 without liability vof interference with any portion of the keeper, and therefore withoutliability of breakage of the blade.

In the modification shown by Figuresdl and 12 the pivot portion andthe confining portion of the keeper are integral with the' arm portion 23.y i Y i about the pivot portion 30afwithout inter? ference with any portion ofthe keeper. Said angular finger is formed to permit the blade l. A lawn mower which includes a drivenV axle, spider arms having bases seated` on the axle, clamping means releasably attaching said bases to the axle, the arms being arranged vin pairs and including outer portions in-` clined from the bases and provided with keepers at their outer ends, and lflexible blades having orifices in their end portions adapted to engage said keepers therewith, each pair of spider arms being arranged to cause a spiral formation of the blade engaged therewith, the mower being characterized by means associated with the inner ends of the arms and with the axle for adjusting the arms relative to the axle to vary the distance of the spiralled blades from the axle.

2. A lawn mower which includes a driven axle, spider arms having bases seated on the axle, clamping means releasably attaching said bases to the axle, the arms being arranged in pairs and including outer portions inclined `from the bases and provided with keepers at their outer ends, and flexible blades having orificesin their end portions adapted to engage said keepers therewith, Veach pair associated with the inner ends of the arms and with-the axle being arranged to cause a spiral formation of the blade engaged therewith, the mower being characterized by means for varying the inclination of thearms relative to the axle to vary the distance of the spiralled blades from the axle.

3. A lawn mower which includes a driven axle, spider arms having bases seated on the axle, clamping means releasably attaching said bases to the axle, the arms being arranged in pairs and including outer portions inclined from the bases and providedY with keepers at their outer ends, and flexible blades having orifices in their end portions adapted to engage said keepers'therewith, each pair of spider arms being arranged to cause a spiral formation of the blades engaged therewith, the mowerbeing characterized by the fact that the base of each arm in# cludes two portions eachformed to be seated on the axle and attached thereto by said clamping means, said portions being inclined relative to each other and to the outer portion of the arm, the arrangement being such.

that the inclination of the outer portions of the arms relative to the axle maybe varied ito varythe radial distance of the blades from the axle, by attaching different portions of said bases to the axle.

'4. A lawn mower which includes a driven axle, spider varms having bases vseated on the axle, clamping means releasably attaching said bases to the axle, the arms being arrangedin pairs and including outer portions inclined from the bases and provided with blade seats and blade keepers at their outerV ends, and flexible blades having uninterrupted circular orifices in their end portions lwhereby the blades are adapted to be en-y gaged with the keepers, each pair of spider arms being arranged to cause a spiral forma-` tion ofthe blade engagedV therewith, each keeper including a pivot portion projecting outwardfrom the blade seat and extending through one of the circular blade orifices, and a confining portion bearing on the other side of the blade, the arrangement being such that the blade is adapted to swing edgewise Y on the blade seat about the pivot portion without interference with any portion of the keeper.

5. A lawn mower which includes a driven axle, spider arms having bases seated on the axle, clamping means releasably attaching said bases to the axle, the arms being arranged in pairs and including outer portions inclined from the bases and provided with blade seats and blade keepers'at their outer ends, and i flexible blades having uninterrupted'circular orifices in their lend portions whereby the blades areadapted to be engaged by the keepers, each pair of spider arms bethe arm, a pivot portion Aextend-ing through one of the circular blade orifices, and a confining portion bearing on'the outer side ofthe blade, the keeper and blade being adapted ioo to swing in unison to locate the blade on the blade seat, the arrangement being such that when the blade bears on the seat the confining portion presses the blade against the seat, and permits the blade to swing edgewise about the pivot portion without liability of interference with any portion of the keeper.

HERBERT B. NEWTON. THOMAS C. NEWTON;v 

